Electric hair cutting appliances are generally known, and include trimmers, clippers and shavers whether powered by mains supplied electricity or batteries. Such a device is generally used to trim body hair, in particular facial and head hair to allow a person to have a well groomed appearance.
Commonly, conventional devices for cutting hair comprise a main body forming an elongate housing having a front or cutting end and an opposite handle end. A cutting blade assembly is disposed at the cutting end and includes a stationary blade element with a movable blade element which moves in a reciprocal manner against the stationary blade element. The cutting blade assembly extends from the cutting end and is fixed in a single position relative to the body, such that the orientation of the cutting element is determined by a user orientating the main body of the device.
A comb attachment is generally mounted to the cutting end of a conventional device to position hair to be cut by the cutting blade assembly. Typically, the comb attachment slides over the cutting blade assembly and spaces the cutting elements away from the surface of the skin from which the hair extends. This allows a uniform length of hair to be cut and allows different sizes of comb elements to be attached, or an adjustable comb element to be attached, to vary the length of hair to be cut.
Further, it is also possible to remove the comb attachment from the cutting end so that the blade assembly is exposed. This allows the cutting assembly to be used for precise trimming of hair, particular outer contours of the a hairline or beard.
However, one problem with such conventional devices is the fixed relationship between the housing and the cutting blade assembly and comb attachment. As the cutting blade assembly and comb attachment is fixedly mounted to the main body, it is necessary to correctly align the cutting blades by moving the handle into the correct orientation. Therefore, a user must position their hand and arm in potentially awkward or uncomfortable positions. Furthermore, if a user does not precisely orientate the device, then the cutting blade assembly will be orientated incorrectly, which leads to an unsatisfactory hair cut or trim. It is often difficult for a user attempting to trim their own hair to handle a conventional device, because of the low visibility to the back of the head during use and so the possibility of the user injuring themselves, or getting an unequal haircut, is very high.
In view of the foregoing, devices for cutting hair have been devised with a pivotable head on which is mounted the blade assembly and comb attachment. The head is allowed to pivot so that the blade assembly and comb attachment are able to align with the contours of the head and provide a more uniform cut. Furthermore, it is easier and more comfortable for a user to trim their own hair when the comb attachment has some rotational freedom during use which enables, the comb attachment and hence the blade assembly to follow the shape of the human head.
However, the pivotable head is a disadvantage when it is desired to conduct precise trimming of the hair when the comb element is removed. In such a situation, there is the problem that it is difficult to precisely position the cutting element when the head is inclined to pivot relative to the body, and so can cause irregular and undesired cuts.